Saitual (Mizoram), Sep 16 (IANS) Union Minister of State (MoS) for Youth Affairs & Sports, Raksha Khadse, chaired the district-level review meetings for Saitual and Kolasib during her official visit to Mizoram on September 15 to16, 2026, reviewing sports programmes besides other issues related to the two places.
The meetings reviewed key development priorities, implementation of Central Government schemes, sports infrastructure, youth engagement, agriculture, connectivity, healthcare and livelihood opportunities.
In Saitual, the review meeting was attended by District Collector Shriniwas Sadi, Superintendent of Police Vivek Kumar Maurya, senior district officials and representatives of sports federations and community organisations.
A key focus of the meeting was substance-abuse prevention among youth. Khadse emphasised the importance of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and called for stronger coordination among youth groups, community organisations and law-enforcement agencies. She stressed the importance of peer-led awareness, constructive youth engagement and sustained community-level efforts to prevent substance abuse.
Representatives of local sports federations highlighted ground-level requirements relating to sports infrastructure and athlete development. MoS Khadse emphasised that infrastructure must be complemented by regular coaching, structured training and sustained athlete support to help young sportspersons progress to higher levels of competition. She also highlighted the role of the Khelo India Scheme in expanding sporting opportunities at the grassroots.
For Kolasib, Khadse chaired a district review meeting attended by H. Dolianbuaia, MCS, District Collector; Pu Lalrinpuia Varte, Superintendent of Police, and senior administrative officers and heads of departments.
Besides reviewing various issues related to the district, including infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture, the meeting discussed strengthening grassroots sports in Kolasib.
Sports emerged as an important area of discussion in the Kolasib review. Football, hockey and wrestling were identified among the prominent sporting disciplines in the district. Athletes from Kolasib are participating in national-level football leagues, while the district also has a hockey ground and has produced a national-level hockey player.
The need for a dedicated training centre was discussed to provide local athletes with structured coaching and sustained training opportunities.
MoS Khadse also reviewed sports infrastructure being developed under the VB-GRAM-G initiative, including football and volleyball grounds and maintenance of existing facilities. She suggested that sports grounds under the initiative should be developed across the district’s 51 villages, enabling young people to access sporting facilities closer to their communities.
Youth mobilisation and substance-abuse prevention were also discussed in detail. The Superintendent of Police briefed the Minister on the district’s Nasha Mukt initiatives, with emphasis on awareness and preventive interventions.
MoS Khadse stressed the importance of channelising the energy of young people towards sports, education, community service and constructive social engagement. She called for greater awareness activities in educational institutions and highlighted the importance of positive peer influence in reaching young people.
Across both district reviews, Smt. Raksha Khadse emphasised that India’s youth are central to the country’s development journey and that their energy and potential must be channelled into sports, education, entrepreneurship, community engagement and productive livelihoods.
She highlighted the need to strengthen grassroots sporting ecosystems, particularly in regions such as Mizoram with strong sporting potential, by ensuring access to facilities, quality coaching, structured training and appropriate support systems.
The district reviews concluded with an emphasis on stronger coordination among district administrations, police authorities, youth institutions, sports bodies, agricultural institutions, cooperatives and community organisations to advance inclusive development and create greater opportunities for the people and youth of Saitual and Kolasib.
–IANS
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